Page 29 of Bad Husband

“I don’t know. My father always talked to me about duty and how important it was to be a good wife.”

“You’re married?” he asked, with a smirk.

“In the process of separation.”

That smirk dropped.

“I bet he was a real fucking idiot,” Marco said.

“You could say that.” She didn’t want this date to turn awkward, and the truth was, she couldn’t really talk about wanting anything different before, because that had only just recently come about.

She took another swig of her beer and reached out to grab his arm. “Come on, we’re going to dance.”

Chapter Ten

Marco couldn’t dance.

He and Chiara were on the dance floor, trying to work to the moves. It had been a fun night. After they both consumed a couple of beers, a tune started that had the whole bar abuzz with excitement. They watched for a few seconds, as they got in line and started to dance. Most of them followed the same steps.

Of course, Chiara grabbed his hand, and together, they stood in one of the lines and tried to copy the dance moves. He hated to admit it, but he did have a lot of fun. For an entire three songs, the whole bar danced, for the most part in sync, and it was quite a sight to behold. They tried to keep up, and by the third song, they finally had it together.

He wrapped his arms around Chiara, as he used any excuse just to hold her. It was the most fun he’d experienced in a long time. In fact, it might have been the first time he’d experienced something like this.

They moved back to their table, and Chiara collapsed into a chair.

“That was a lot of fun.”

“Agreed.”

He looked at her eyes and saw they were a little glazed over. Chiara couldn’t handle her alcohol, so the next time he went up to the bar, he ordered them each a bottle of orange juice.

Chiara giggled when she saw it. “Are you nervous about me getting drunk?” she asked.

“Not at all. I know that drinking, for you, is just going to make you sick.” He winked at her.

It was getting late, and Chiara sighed. “I’m getting hungry.”

The bar served food, but it was also getting loud, and several of the customers seemed determined to start fights.

“Are you ready to head out?” he asked.

“Yeah, I think there is a drive-thru on the way back to No Point.”

He took Chiara’s hand, and he marveled in the fact she snuggled up close to him. It felt good to have her in his arms once again, but he had to cut it short, to get her back into the car, then he rounded to the driver’s side, climbing in. Marco turned over the ignition and heard it sputter, which wasn’t good.

Chiara chuckled and leaned over. “You do realize that is the engine warning light.”

He glanced down at her. She was a little drunk, and it was so cute.

“I’ll be right back,” he said.

He lifted the hood, and he didn’t know nor understand cars. He checked the fluids and they seemed to be fine, and the engine wasn’t hot. He wriggled a few things and slapped down on a box, even though he didn’t know what it was. Going back to the car, he turned over the ignition, and this time it didn’t sputter, but he had a horrible feeling if he didn’t get his car looked at properly, it was going to die.

He got them to the drive-thru, but rather than risk turning off the engine, the moment they got their food, he drove all the way back to their two trailers. Once they arrived, he was not about to admit to Chiara that he didn’t actually park the car in the middle of the damn field, a few feet from their trailers. The car chose that moment to just stop. He wasn’t going to constantly try to turn the ignition over. It was dead. The only way the car would make it out of that field, or past anyone else, would be if it was towed away. He couldn’t believe his car was being a giant pain in the ass. The temptation to slap it and kick it was strong.

He climbed out of the car and opened the hood. He patted the car, and she chuckled but climbed on top and sat next to him. He opened their bag of food, handing her the cheeseburger she’d ordered. The food was still warm as it wasn’t far from the trailer. It was good food, but nothing like Rosemary’s food.

“You know, I love it here,” Chiara said.